476 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST. (VoL. XXXIII. 
With the Lampyrid beetles the stenches, whether or not 
coupled with conspicuous coloration, are more effective. Tele- 
phorus is occasionally eaten, but Photinus, if eaten at all, is. 
taken only very rarely. Chauliognathus, though often so very 
abundant, is not eaten by many birds, but several species of 
flycatchers and swallows select this insect. Experiments with 
caged birds, catbirds, and blue jays showed that this insect was 
regarded unfavorably. 
Warning Coloration and Mimicry. 
The writers on protective coloration, especially Wallace, 
have stated that birds avoid insects that have metallic colors. 
Thus metallic coloration becomes synonymous with warning 
coloration. Although this is doubtless true in some cases, 
there are others in which it seems otherwise. The metallic 
beetles (Buprestidze), certain Cicindelide, A//orhina nitida, 
Euphoria fulgida, Cotalpa lanigera, and Phanzeus are relished 
by many of our common birds. And, further, it may be added 
that the metallic-colored flies, Lucilia cæsar and others, are 
found in large quantities in the stomachs of flycatchers and 
swallows; that is, in the stomachs of all birds that are swift 
enough to capture them. Large showy bugs colored like Mur- 
gantia histrionica are usually avoided by birds. A captive song 
sparrow refused a Murgantia, but a white-throated sparrow 
devoured it greedily. It is very seldom that I run across the 
remains of orange and black or red and black bugs during 
stomach examinations. 
So much has been written on the subject of protective 
coloration of adult Lepidoptera that I cannot, even in this pre- 
liminary paper, pass over such an important chapter without 
stating some of the problems that here concern the student 
of protective coloration. I realize that in this order we have, 
especially in the tropics, very efficient methods of protection 
from birds, as has been shown by the investigations of Bates, 
Belt, Wallace, Triman, Poulton, and Beddard ; but in the eastern 
United States the cases of efficient mimicry do not show up 
quite so well, for the reason that there are not yet any records 
